Desks
by Toplesslemon
Summary: Companion to Not Just a River. Tateish. Why is there no lameness genre?


**AN:** Howdy folks. I'll keep this short because I've got an assignment due tomorrow, well, today, and I haven't finished it, so I need to do that. Companion to Not Just a River, but not told from Tony's POV. That's it, really. Some time at the beginning of season three. Before Not Just a River. For disclaimer see end of NJAR. Huh. NJAR. Sounds like an unpopular Star Wars character…

--

They had done it for Abby. Because she had asked them to. Tony and McGee had returned to headquarters from interviewing a witness late one night to find it totally desolate, except for Abby, that was. Abby was sitting on Kate's-, what used to be Kate's desk.

'Abby?' Tony asked gently, placing his hand on her knee, breaking her from her thoughts.

'It's not right, guys.' she finally said.

'What's not right, Abby?' McGee asked

'Lots of things, McGee,' she said with a sight 'but mostly, at the moment, Gibbs giving away Kate's desk. I mean; it's Kate's!' Abby threw her hands into the air.

'I don't think he had a choice.' Tony said, grabbing his from behind his desk, rolling it next to Abby and sitting down. McGee soon followed. 'He doesn't seem too happy about it, Abs.'

'Still…' Abby said

'It's too soon.' McGee said quietly, and they all looked at the same thing; an empty chair.

'We need to do something.' Abby said

'Like what?' Tony asked

'I don't know. Something.' Abby replied

'We couldn't steal it, could we?' Tony asked

'Nah, they'd notice it was gone. Besides, what would we do with it?' Abby said gloomily.

'How about something that electrically shocks people when they sit down? Or makes them infertile? Or both?' Tony said excitedly

'It'd probably make us infertile too, and they'd just get a new chair.' Abby said, the voice of reason.

'Oh' Tony said, a little glum

'We could swap desks.' McGee suddenly exclaimed

'What?' Tony asked

'All the desks are the same, right?' McGee asked

'Right,' Tony said, nodding slowly, and talking as if he were talking to a slow five year old.

'So, if we empty both Kate's and someone else's desk, swapped them, then put everything back exactly where it was no one would notice.' McGee said in a rush.

'That just might work, McGee.' Abby said thoughtfully.

'But whose desk?' Tony asked

'Yours,' Abby answered automatically

'But I've grown attached to my desk…' Tony protested weakly

'Please, Tony?' Abby pleaded

'Why mine?'

'Because that's the way it should be.' She replied, cryptically.

'You'd be okay with it?' Tony asked

'If it can't be-,' Abby paused and bit her bottom lip 'yes, I'll be okay with it.'

'Okay,' Tony said after a few seconds thought.

'Thank you,' Abby said quietly

'So, how are we doing this?' Tony asked, standing

'We should empty both desks first.' McGee said sensibly 'We can put the stuff behind mine and Gibbs' desks.'

'Okay,' Tony nodded 'but you're not going near my desk, McGee.' Tony said firmly 'You couldn't handle it. Wanna help, Abs?'

'Sure,' Abby nodded and followed Tony to his desk

'Don't look in the bottom draw.' Tony instructed

'I'm pretty sure I don't want to.' Abby said, unplugging and removing Tony's computer.

Twenty or so minutes later both desks were completely empty.

'What now?' Tony asked McGee

'I guess we move one desk out of the way and then shove the other into place.' McGee said.

'Make sense,' Tony said, grabbing hold of one side of his desk. McGee and Abby rushed to help. After much heaving and shoving without really getting anywhere they realised something; their desks were extremely heavy. It took a while, but they finally moved Tony's desk out of the way and had just started moving Kate's when Abby spotted something on the floor and called McGee and Tony to a halt.

'What is it?' McGee asked

'A button,' Abby replied, picking up the small grey button from the ground.

'That's interesting.' Tony said, his voice indicating he didn't find it interesting at all.

'It's Kate's.' Abby said, causing Tony to sober. 'She was looking for it.' She slipped the button into a pocket and resumed working.

An hour later and it looked like it always had, and Tony, Abby and McGee were exhausted.

'There,' Tony said, wiping his hands on his pants 'it's like we didn't do anything at all.' Tony wrapped his arm around Abby's shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. He hoped that this "adventure" had given Abby some peace of mind.

'That's the magic of it.' McGee said

'That's the magic of Kate.' Abby said. McGee and Tony looked to Abby, puzzled. 'It may look like nothing has changed, but if you look closely, beneath the exterior, the change is enormous.'

--

**AN:** And now I've got an idea about writing something about the grey button… Anyway, thoughts, feelings? I think I like this one better than its companion, but how about you?


End file.
